Well 24 hours after giving up toothpaste I'm feeling a great deal better, in spite even of going out to lunch today.
It could be the impact also of taking three anti-histamines yesterday - right up to the doctor's limit. But I have taken none today.
I have checked several toothpaste tubes but none contain allergy warnings. In fact the best one, Sensodyne, seems to skirt around the subject. "As with all toothpastes," it suggests "if it irritates your gums stop using it." Sensodyne is of course formulated to protect "sensitive" gums.
I wouldn't like anybody to believe allergy is the main cause of gum disease - but it never seems to be mentioned as a possible cause.
We need a campaign to get allergy warnings on toothpaste. Amazing that one of the substances that enters the mouth most frequently contains none.
About cellulose gum: it is generally regarded as a gluten free substance and may even used in some free from products. Sources include cotton and wood fibre - would you believe! That does not seem to suggest there is much control over the content of it. If anybody has any inside information, let me know.
More updates on toothpaste later.
Sunday, October 08, 2006
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34 comments:
Hello from coastal Georgia! I just wanted to let you know that I finally figured out, after months of progressively worse itchy skin around my mouth, hmmm- maybe my toothpaste was causing it? I switched to using nothing but baking soda to test the theory, and for the first time in months, I have perfectly clear, non-itching skin. It was a horrible itch- like you wanted to dig your nails into the skin around your mouth and just scratch until there was nothing left. I guess from here on out, I am just going to have to brush with baking soda and floss very carefully- I am literally scared to use toothpaste anymore.
Hello from houston! I have been on and off suffering from toothpaste allergies my entire life, sometimes I'll go for 3 months on the same toothpaste and then a nonretractable horrible perioral rash and extreme leukoplakia will take over my entire mouth area. It is cool to know that someone else suffers from toothpaste allergies too (My friends laugh but it's only vaguely humorous). Doctors never told me about it, I was constantly off and on steroid creams to fight symptomatic inflammation. They told me i was salivating on myself at night and the digestive enzymes were eating my face. Haha! One day after switching toothpastes, i noticed my mouth magically wasn't itching, and since then I've known that I can develop toothpaste sensitivities. I too have had the best luck with plain baking soda in lieu of toothpaste, but I have been warned that it's too abrasive more than once weekly use.
Hello,
AS a Dental professional i wanted to give you a little info. Toothpaste is used only to supply you with your teeth's fluoride need. YOu clean your teeth by the manual movement of brushing, nothing else. There is NO other benefit from using toothpaste, unless it is a toothpaste to prevent sensitivity. So, if you are suffering any side effects of toothpaste, simply stop using it and receive your topical fluoride in other forms, such a fluoride rinse. Using water is a great alternative to toothpaste, but i would not recommend using backing soda, as it is much to abrasive and will quikly cause your enamel to wear away.
Thanks for these comments. An update on this in November 2007 as this posting predated the diagnosis of salicylate hypersensitivity. I have given up all toothpaste and am lucky in having a fluoridated water supply. My dentist doesn't think I clean my teeth enough despite using an electric brush and has recommended five minutes a session!
xtxzvhI suffer from an extremely dry mouth and throat no matter what toothpaste I use. It is horrible, nothing will relieve the dryness, not water, or sucking on candy, etc. I finally figured out that it is toothpaste and have stopped using it entirely and voila! no more dry mouth or throat. Amazing. Am a little worried about keeping my teeth clean but was interested in the comments from the dental professional. I will talk to my dentist about possible substitutes. Thanks for all the information.
By trial and error I finally figured out I have a toothpaste allergy. I also have a lot of skin allergies, so this isn't surprising.
I was having ongoing problems with my gums becoming red and inflamed, so I would start using water as the mint in the toothpaste made my gums burn. After a month or so I would start using toothpaste again and same thing. Switched to Biotyne thinking that would help... not. I have been toothpaste free for several months and have had no problems with my gums whatsoever.
Surprisingly, I don't have any skin allergy to toothpaste.
I've very sensitive skin too. Recently my mouth has been getting red and sore after using a Crest brand toothpaste, although I've grown up with that brand. I just happened on to this site because the cause and effect just clicked. I also use biotene and think that my dry mouth and sensitive gums over the past ten years were actually signs of what biotene claims to prevent and help. (My girlfriend told me about it.) I facial skin also is very sensitive to the gel-kam product that I use so I make sure I rinse outside my lips area when using.
My dentist had me using soft bristles for the past years and just any product for sensitive gums which has not helped prevent my brittle teeth and gum recission despite it looking quite well, no one really sees what is happening along the gum line.
I hope there is more awareness that dry mouth is a early sign of a symptom that can when attended to can prevent damage to teeth in later years.
I always thought my sensitive and dry skin carried over to my teeth. Not so. Anyone else can contribute to this?
It is so refreshing to hear I'm not the only one!~ After 3 dermatologists and several hundred dollars of useless medications for a kool aid ring. Has anyone seen Something About Mary where that man at the end of the movie itched from nerves? Thats how bad it itched; I could have drawn blood. Now, 2 weeks without toothpaste and 1 tube of over the counter benadryl cream- its disappeared. I use a floride rinse to brush with.
I have been battling canker sore/imflamation/ulcer sores/you name it inside my mouth for about two years. It travels everwhere from my gums, under my tongue, on the top my tongue, my lips, inside of my lips, etc.
In fact, I have several sores on my tongue as we speak and I was complaining to my boyfriend this morning, that my sore woke me up in the middle of night because it was soooo painful.
I have always suspected that it was my toothpaste because when we switched from commerical toothpaste to natural Care Tom's of Maine tooth paste, thinking that we ought to be more health-conscious. :)
I started digging (I wish I had done that before!) and found this website. Well, now I know there is such thing as toothpaste allergy! I'm definitely tossing them all out. What a relief.
Sigh.
Has anyone ever felt a flushed feeling? It's kind of like a slight perspiration and/or a general weak feeling after brushing with toothpaste? It is short lived with me but it does occur. I just realized this after many years of having this. I never really thought much of it.
Some toothpastes have tricolsan as an antibacterial ingredient. This turns to chloroform gas when mixed with tap water, so I've read. Maybe this is causing your flushed, weak feeling. Check it out.
I have been suffering from a case of Perioral Dermatitis (rash around my mouth) for approx. 4 years. It's very annoying and the treatment is almost worse for your body than just having the rash. I've been "drug" free for a few months now, and the rash keeps coming back in cycles. I've finally decided to log what I've been eating to see if I can narrow down what aggrevates it. I only recently thought that perhaps it was my toothpaste and have gone through a few brands in the past few months. I just came upon this site today and am hoping that this may be the answer. My only question is: does brushing without toothpaste actually keep your mouth feeling clean?
It feels for a while like you will develop bad breath. However I've listened careful to what my dentist says and I use an electric toothbrush, trying to get all the plaque out. I'm pleased to say that my teeth now feel a lot healthier than they have for years - no sensitive gums at all.
You may find you end up with cleaner teeth than you had before!
the REAL kicker about having atoothpaste allergy is that when your gums start hurting...YOU BRUSH MORE OFTEN...thereby enhancing the effect...SLS.. artificial cinnamon...anything zingy like tartar remover and whiteners do me in...when i realize what's going on i feel fooled again...
I am relieved to find this site because it confirms what has happened to me. I stopped taking Caltrate immediately when my mouth became sensitive. However, my lips continued to swell, became red, firm, and the skin around my mouth flaked. Although I had safely used the same toothpaste for years, I began to question whether I had become allergic to it. I stopped using it and my lips slowly became normal size and color and my skin stopped flaking. Recently, I tried my tooth paste again one morning, but by evening my mouth was red, swollen and my skin was flaking as before. I have been using baking soda to brush my teeth, but now will definitely find another alternative.
I thought I was going crazy! I would get instant mucous to the point of gagging from any toothpaste I tried. It would cover my tongue and I couldn't get it off... I know really gross! I finally decided that it had to be some ingredient in the paste but couldn't find a toothpaste (even Toms and baking soda) that didn't create the same response. I am relegated to brushing with water and once every couple of days I will brush with a mouth rinse, but even that causes the same response. Unlike other posters I have no dermal rash, etc. Tonight I was snuggling my son as he went to sleep, he apologized for the mucous he was trying to clear from his throat... I had asked what he had eaten recently- he replied nothing. So I now realize my son has the same problem just not to the degree I have. I am grateful to this site, even though there are no others with the same problem, because at least I am not alone.
I have been experiencing flaking on by bottom lip and the lower part of my top lip for quite some time now. I figured out it was my toothpaste a while ago, but didn't know what to do about it because I grew up with this brand and don't like any of the other brands. I resorted to brushing with my head hanging back, but that was short lived. Brushing without toothpaste never even crossed my mind, I thought it would be very unhealthy for your teeth, but this site has made me think twice and I'm excited to try it. I'm hoping to get my old lips back.
To correct the comment I just left. It isn't just flaking, it is as if the entire top layer of skin on my bottom lip completely dies beginning a half hour after brushing my teeth. THEN it would flake. And I would consequently have to remove THE ENTIRE TOP LAYER OF SKIN FROM MY BOTTOM LIP. Which can take all damn day. So once again, I am very excited to try this new solution.
well at first i was told by my GP that i had lick eczema (some totally made up term) he told me he'd just watched me lick my lips (I am not a lip licker!) and he gave me steroids and 5 years later its still there.
My lips are HORRIBLE people say i drink vimto :( they always flake in huge scales then this skin gets infected i even get hives round my lips :O swellings the corners crack to nearly a centimeter.
From readin all this, confirms what i thought it could be toothpaste and i will try this but lets not kid ourselves...IF U SMOKE THEN THATS PROBABLY THE REASON. i will try the sodium bicarb and if that dunt work ill have to quit smoking!!! haha
A few days ago, the skin between my gums and lips, and under my tongue, AND the top of my tongue have broken out in a painful rash that feels like invisible canker sores EVERYWHERE! PLUS I have a swollen tongue.
I was clueless as to what did this to me. I ate no new foods, drinks, etc. But when I went to brush my teeth yesterday, I realized all of my irritation is RIGHT where my toothbrush hits me.... and I just bought some new toothpaste!
It sounds pathetic to be allergic to toothpaste, but this reaction is KILLING me!!!!
I have had a artificial cinnamon allergy since I was a kid. I would always get a rash around my mouth and ulcers on the oral mucosa if I used cinnamon flavored toothpaste or chewed cinnamon flavored gum/ candy. I finally figured out what was causing it after chewing on a Cinnamon Altoid. It felt like I was chewing on acid and I developed mouth ulcers. Ever since I stopped using anything with artificial cinnamon in it I have no problems. The real cinnamon does not cause me any problems.
Anonymous with the mucous! OMFG!
I have had the same thing, as soon as I get toothpaste in my mouth, my lungs start filling up with mucous until I can hardly breathe... I just start choking and gagging on it. It usually lasts at least a couple hours and more frequent use of toothpaste makes the symptoms worse. Even when my fiancee kisses me after brushing her teeth the same thing happens. It's made me the subject of ridicule my whole life so I'm *so* glad to hear that I'm not the only one! Anyone else go through this? Anything to use? My teeth are in really bad shape and I'm at a total loss as to what to do. BTW, i know how everybody else feels... for some reason any amount of vinegar causes the glands in my mouth to swell and large blisters/lesions to form that sometimes take almost a week to heal. I hate my body!
This is a very interesting site.
I have been suffering from excess saliva for some time now and I am beginning to suspect it could be toothpaste that's causing it. I am about to stop using it to find out.
I have only just recently discovered sites that mention about toothpaste allergies..it was never something that crossed my mind before. I suffer with red chapped skin around the top of my top lip, and below my bottom lip. I have suffered with this for the past 14 yrs!! without having found a cure. I had tried numerous steroid tablets, steroid creams, anti bacterial creams all prescribed to me by my doctor, even had a skin allergy test done. The only time it subsided was when I was pregnant and for about a year afterwards...then it slowly became to come back..I can go weeks with no effects, then suddenly over night, I get red itchy skin..if I leave it alone and do not put on any creams it will then begin to flake and itch more..I find too that because of using steroid creams it has damaged the skin, and it can look a lot worse during the cold months, as the skin can look purple..I guess as scar tissue does in the cold. I am not sure what it is in the toothpastes I have used that sparks it all off..but maybe there is an alternative out there somewhere that someone may know of to combat these problems, but that will still give you fresh breath and clean teeth?...and does anyone know if mouthwash could cause this too?
I started getting a rash around my mouth (red, swelled lips, flaking, very itchy)about five years ago after I'd switched to a whitening toothpaste. I also was getting a rash on my arms at the same time. I went through months of doctors giving me creams that either did nothing or made the symptoms worse. Finally, I asked my doctor to send me to a dermatologist. The dermatologist took one look at me and said "Have you recently switched toothpastes?". I was shocked. He said often people are allergic (contact dermatitis) to ingredients in toothpaste, and it could be the same ingredient that is also found in sunscreen. He recommended that I use Arm & Hammer Baking Soda toothpaste. I did, and it cleared up and no more rashes for years. I also stopped using sunscreen and the other rash stopped. Now, Arm & Hammer has discontinued their regular baking soda toothpaste, and the 'sensitive' one that replaced it is causing the rash again. I'm very frustrated, because brushing without toothpaste would not be very refreshing. I have an appointment with a dermatologist to have patch testing done to determine the allergen.
I think another problem is most people probably use too much toothpaste. We are taught to brush are teeth when were young and most probably see more as being better.
You also may find allergies is herbal toothpastes as many of those contain exotic ingredients that few have exposure to.
Many people who suffer a toothpaste allergy probaly do not realize it as they fortunately only suffer minor symptoms.
Hi,
I have just found your site! I am starting to think that I might be allergic to toothpaste just my symptomes are different from all of yours: my throat often itches and also have nose and eye problems, ithing in the eyes and colds. I have no idea whether this could also be caused by the tooth paste. I have now switched to a toothpaste without mint as I am trying some homeopathic remedies and I seem to be better.
Ya'll, I finally figured out that my nasty toothpaste rash was caused by carrageenan, a sea weed extract which is used to thicken the toothpaste (and other things). Some of no-frills toothpastes do not contain carrageenan. Worth a try anyway, if you want to keep using toothpaste.
My allergist was no help on this, BTW. He suggested I wipe my face better after eating. :)
Hello very interesting site, i found this when looking for a possible cause for myswillwn sore gums inside my top teeyh and the top of my throat. I feel like a dumm skull - because recently I swithed from a cheap tooth paste, which soon notice had caused the same problems as outlined above and a begam using sensodyne paste as my tooth was a tad painful. Din't know why i didn't conect the sumptoms again - so I will swicth to another one.
Thank you for saying about the gagging when cleaning teeth because this is something I have been doing for years - this had stoppped when i was using the sensodyne paste.
Thanks to everyone for all the very useful info and also it's good to know that I'm not alone in these things.
Hope everyone gets sorted because pain /soreness in the mouth can so easily pull you down - keep on in there peple.
only after i brush my teeth, or even worse, use mouthwash, do i get a gross film in my mouth. the film is white and covers the inside of my lips. after i remove the film i have tiny bumps that last hours. also, my gums get red and my mouth feels a bit swollen. my dentist says i have to take better care of my gums. now i use a sonicare toothbrush and a water pic, both products feel great, but my gums are still red after brushing, and i still have the other gross symtoms. for years i thought this could be from toothpaste or flouride or some ingredient in both. apparently i am not as bright as the rest of you that actually discontinued something that may be an irritant. so starting tomorrow, no more toothpaste. my toothbrush will be going commando to see if this clears up.
so has anyone else had the same symptoms that i have?
and if you don't use toothpaste, will you have bad breath during the day?
and does anyone have the same issues with that ingredient in gum - xylitol? maybe i will fight cavities with chewing gum.
I also have the problem with the film in my mouth when I use toothpaste, inside my cheeks and on my lips. Gross. I tried using aloe vera toothpaste and it wasn't so bad but I was never sure if it was good enough to clean your teeth. Now I know that it isn't necessary to use paste at all, but how do you freshen your mouth? Chewing gum doesn't affect me.
omg....I'm not alone...i have most of da symptoms!
1) i hav burning sensation around my lips when i brush
2) i had sore-throat for a year n my ent specialist put me on fluticasone nasal spray, da moment i stop it, i get sore-throat & tonsillitis
3) my gum is swollen and red
4) my tongue is swollen, reddish and sore
5) i hav whitish thin membrane like thing shedding off from my inner cheek & lips
and i'm surprised to find out dat i;m allergic to toothpaste!! thanks for da info, i'll meet my dermatologist tomorrow..
i changed my toothpaste today, it dripped down n caused my lower lip to swell & itch...
When I typed in "allergic to toothpaste?" I didn't really expect to get much info. Glad to know I'm not alone. As I read most of the comments I thought but that's not me; doesn't anyone else have the type of reaction I do?
I am mildly asthmatic, and the reaction I have is like having an asthma attack, My sinus and sometimes my lungs begin to fill with mucus,my breathing gets a little labored, so much mucus,and also excess saliva, is poring that my stomach gets real upset. These symptoms last from 2 to 4 hours, unless I drink something like tea or Coke, then of course I need to brush my teeth again. That's okay during the day, I just chew gum instead, but at bedtime, sometimes it's so bad I have to take Benedryl to call it off and even use an inhaler other times.
I hadn't thought of not using toothpaste, only "surely there's a toothpaste that won't do this." Some are not as bad as others but as best I can tell both standard and natural cause some kind of problem.
I think I will begin experimenting, NO toothpaste! Sounds radical.
KJM
I have been having a good experience with "oil pulling". I use Safflower oil which is salicylate free. My teeth have whitened and my mouth really enjoys it. You should try it sometime. I just use one tablespoon of the oil, two or three times a day. "Oil pulling" advice websites say all sorts of things on how to do it 'properly', but really - you just put it in your mouth and swish it around - how hard is that? ;)
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